I am in need of a video card.

[Eric Rebel]

I have a dell inspiron 570 which only has a 300w power supply which cannot be upgraded. I need a video card that can run Secondlife.

Again I wish I could upgrade the power supply but dell says the power supply cannot be upgraded in the computer.

 

[geofelt]

The strongest graphics card that will run on 300w is probably the GTX750ti.
Here is one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CILH_JWSqb4CFbTm7Aod2UsA2g&Item=N82E16814487025&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814487025&ef_id=U3IwYQAABTTUZ4VN:20140513144657:s

 

[raihan4]

I would vote against 750Ti. That GPU needs 20 amps on the 12v rails and a 400w PSU as a minimum. Get yourself a Sapphire HD 7750. It's small, has low power consumption, doesn't require any external power connector, and would fit in most cases. It should game well, too.

 

[raihan4]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002 The GPU

 

[EasyLover]

Go for 750/750Ti and it will best suit your requirement.

 

[Eric Rebel]

Either the amd 7750 or 7770 they are quiet low power consumption and are pretty good in terms of performance and it's small enough to fit any case.

Thanks for the reply I could not find the AMD 7770 anywhere in stock

 

[Eric Rebel]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002 The GPU

Thanks for your answer but the gpu is out of stock and could not find else where. :/

 

[hang-the-9]

The 7770 is a bad idea for your system. Radeon 7750, nVidia GT640, Radeon R7 240, nVidia 750 Ti, based on budget. Any of those should run it fine. The 750 Ti does not need a secondary power adapter.

Depending on your system specs, you may not need to go as high as the 750 Ti, it's about $40-70 more than the other cards.

 

[Eggz]

[The 750Ti] . . . needs 20 amps on the 12v rails and a 400w PSU as a minimum.

I'm pretty sure this is false unless you get a special version of the card that includes power plugs. I have a 750 ti, and it consumes very little power. It runs entirely off the PCI-e bus, and there is no power plug running to it from the PSU. A PCI-e bus delivers up to 75 watts only. Plus the card's temperature doesn't noticeably increase under load. It's extremely power efficient and cool - exactly what you're looking for. In fact, you can even read independant reviews from AnandTech (one of the most reputable hardware reviewers there is), stating that the 750 ti is "The Most Power Effecient GPU Ever Built." (click for original article and review).

Aside from that, however, OP: I am pretty sure that you can upgrade the power supply in your Dell Inspiron 570. It is just a tower. Open it up and look at the power supply to see whether there are screws holding it in. If so, unscrew them. If it comes loose, you can replace it. I can almost 100% guaranty you can swap it out. How would Dell have assembled it, and how would they fix it if you sent the computer in for PSU repair? When Dell says that it "can't be upgraded," they probably mean that you just can't choose which PSU you want when you buy a new computer in the same was that you can choose (or "upgrade") to buy 16 GB instead of only 8 GB of RAM when you first purchase the machine.

 

[raihan4]

The thing is, 750Tis (as well as the other cards) are sold by different vendors. AFAIK you most likely could not get a reference card from nvidia. I'm afraid that those vendors sell it by their preferences, therefore making it less efficient. (Notall fo them). I'm just playing it safe here, no one guarantees that ALL of the 750tis sold by different vendors could maintain its efficiency and not requiring an external power. You could always check the specs, but it's often quite tricky and time consuming. Depends on the OP though. If he's good, then go on.

 

[Eggz]

[N]o one guarantees that ALL of the 750tis sold by different vendors could maintain its efficiency and not requiring an external power.

Don't try to scare people without cause. Motherboard standards are very strict. A 16x PCI-e slot allows only 75w of power to flow through. That's it. So any 750 ti without the power connector (i.e. any 750 ti except the ASUS Overclocked Edition and the EVGA FTW Edition) will be forced to use only the power coming from the PCI-e slot - 75w.

You can even get an overclocked card and keep it under that power limit (.e.g the EVGA GTX 750 ti Superclocked) so long as there are no power connectors. Also, Nvidia sets the parameters for board partners to remain within when building reference-based cards. With a 750 ti, they are all based on the reference design unless otherwise specified. You can quickly tell because the reference-based cards are short, and the special editions are full-length. Cards not based on the reference design are special. They sit at the top of a product lineup, and they cost more money.